STUDY AND TRAVEL IN CHINA, SUMMER 1996
(1) Study and Travel in China, Inc., a not-for-profit
corporation, represents a number of Chinese leading
universities and high schools for their study-and
-travel-in-China international educational programs.
(2) These programs, with different focuses, are designed
for different people.
(3) All the activities within China will be taken care of.
A teacher from the host high school or university will
greet the coming group at the airport and will see the
group off as well.
(4) The group leaders do not have to be able to speak
Chinese. The Chinese teacher from the host school will
speak English.
(5) The program is both educational and recreational.
It is much better than a tourist program because one will
be able to discuss issues with Chinese professors and to
have first-hand experiences by living in a Chinese city.
One will meet common Chinese people, observe their lives,
and exchange views with them. In addition, it is much more
economical to travel to China by joining this program.
(6) The minimum number of a group is 12 people, including
the group leader. Therefore, it is usually difficult to
have enough participants in one high school. (For example,
Chinese Southwest Normal University once hosted a group
participated by students and their parents.)
(7) WE PRIMARILY WORK WITH PROSPECTIVE ORGANIZERS
FOR STUDY-AND-TRAVEL-IN-CHINA PROGRAM. THE GROUPS
CAN BE "OFFICIAL," "SEMIOFFICIAL," OR "PRIVATE."
IF YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE
PROGRAM AND YOU WANT TO ORGANIZE A STUDY-AND
-TRAVEL-IN-CHINA CLASS IN 1996, PLEASE CONTACT US.
WE WILL BE GLAD TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS AND HELP
YOU REALIZE YOUR PROJECT.
BUT PLEASE ALSO BE CAREFUL. ORGANIZING A CLASS
INVOLVES A LOT OF WORK. PLEASE CONSIDER FULLY THE
POSSIBLE PROBLEMS. (FOR CHINA'S SIDE, HOWEVER, YOU
CAN DEPEND ON US AND THERE WILL BE NO PROBLEM.)
FOR SUMMER 1996 PROGRAM, WE HAVE TO START
WORKING NOW.
Gao (Xiaoping), Program Coordinator
(xgao at ux1.cso.uiuc.edu)
MISSION STATEMENT
Study and Travel in China, Inc.
A Not For Profit Corporation
Recognizing that China is an increasingly important
economic and political power in the contemporary
world, that a mutual understanding and friendly
relationship between the Americans and Chinese
are vital to the welfare, prosperity, and peace of both
nations, and that education plays a crucial role in
enhancing mutual understanding and friendship
between the two peoples, Study and Travel in
China, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation, thus
sets its goals as follows:
1) To work with Chinese well-established universities
and high schools and help them design Study-
and-Travel-in-China international educational
programs;
A) The guide line of the program design is to provide
participants accurate and objective information about China,
its history, cultures, and current situations.
While this organization does not advocate
positions of any governments or institutions,
it attempts to let the participants have first-hand intellectual
and life experiences in China to formulate their independent
views on China related issues. It also seeks
to bring American imports into the programs.
B) The programs are designed for (1) American university
students, (2) graduate students, (3) high school students,
(4) educators, (5) professional people, (6) business people,
and (7) all other people who have an interest in
Chinese culture and current situations. In other words,
the programs are not particularly designed for
a relatively small number of people who wants
to be Chinese specialists, but for all educated individuals.
C) The programs cover the the fields of (1) Chinese
language, culture, and history; (2) Chinese economy
and business; (3) Chinese politics and foreign relations;
(4) Chinese ethnicities; (5) Chinese public health and
life sciences, and (6) Chinese high school sciences and
social studies. The courses are credited or non-credited.
All the programs are combinations of classroom
lectures and discussions on the one hand, and field
studies and travel on the other. They vary in length from
one month, a semester, to two semesters; and run in summer
or in other time of the year. The lectures and field studies are
conducted in English or with English interpretation. Chinese
language is not a pre-requisite. The tour guides are bilingual.
2) To provide American educational institutions information
about the international educational programs , to bring their
comments, suggestions and imports into the programs, and to
help them arrange study-and-travel programs with Chinese
universities and high schools that this corporation works with.
3) To provide information to interested individuals and to help
them organize or participate such programs, or study
in Chinese educational institutions.
4) To help educational exchanges between Chinese and
American educational institutions.
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO
STUDY AND TRAVEL IN CHINA PROGRAM
Study and Travel in China, Inc.
A Not-For-Profit Corporation
***************************************
For whom are the programs designed for?
Who are the Chinese hosts?
What are the courses and field studies?
What are in the travel itineraries?
What are the novel characteristics about the programs?
Are the programs affordable?
How does one verify the programs?
How does one organize a group for the program?
****************************************
FOR DECISION MAKERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY
The programs are designed for university students,
graduates, high school students, educators, professionals,
business people, and all those people are interested in
human affairs and looking forward to building
a better world.
Please note that these programs are not particularly
designed to meet the needs of a relatively small number
of people who want to be Chinese specialists. They
are designed for all educated people. Thus, the lectures and
field studies are conducted in English or with English
interpretation. Chinese language is not a pre-requisite.
CHINA'S LEADING UNIVERSITIES AND HIGH SCHOOLS
The programs are conducted directly by Nanjing University,
Wuhan University, Beijing University Medical School,
Southwest Institute of Ethnicities, Yunan Institute of
Ethnicities, Tibet University, Xi'an Institute of Foreign
Languages, Heilongjiang University, Southwest Normal
University, Nanjing Normal University High School, and
Beijing Normal University High School. In addition,
Russian Far Eastern University at Vladivostock runs
with Heilongjiang University a joint program for study
and travel in both Northeastern China and
Far Eastern Russia.
Many of the above schools are the most prestigious
ones in China. For example, According to Chinese
ranking institutions, Nanjing University ranks
the No. 2 among all Chinese universities (while Beijing
University ranks the No.1, see People's Daily,
overseas edition, 12/24/94, p.3). According to
the Scientific Citation Index (1994, USA), however,
Nanjing University ranked No.1 in numbers of articles
published in international academic or scientific
journals (Beijing University scores the second).
For another example, Nanjing Normal University
High School is not only one of the oldest modern
high schools in China but also, perhaps, the best.
In the past several years, it produced one gold medalist
(Shen Kai, 1992, Math) and two silver medalists
(Xia Xiyuan, 1993, Information Science, and Wei Tao,
1994, physics) in International High School Olympics.
All the above universities have many years of
experiences of running study and travel programs
for international participants. For example, Nanjing
University has sponsored such programs in the
last 15 years with more than 3,000 international
participants (in addition to their regular enrollment
of international students). Among them, CIEE USA
(Council on International Educational Exchange,
participated by dozens of well-known American
universities) has sent more than 300 students
in 24 groups since 1982, and Duke University near
300 students in 13 groups since 1982. Last summer
(1995), George Mason University participated
the study and travel in China program by sending
a group focusing on Chinese economy and business,
perhaps the first of its kind.
These universities not only have specialized bodies
of teachers for international students but also developed
logistic institutions to meet the needs of international
scholars and students. Thus, to live on China's campuses,
though not luxury, is convenient and comfortable. For
example, Nanjing University has a 20-storied "Apartment
Building for International Scholars and Students" where
there are air-conditioned student rooms, double
rooms and suites, a cafeteria, classrooms, a library, a
barber's and hairdressers, a bar, and an exercise room.
STUDY (COURSES AND FIELD STUDIES)
LECTURES AND DISCUSSIONS: China's Economic Reform;
Property Rights and Enterprise Reform; Stock and
Future Markets; Business: Manufacture, Commerce,
Real estate, and Foreign Trade; Foreign Investment
and Government Policy, Laws and Regulations
concerning Foreign Investments; Environmental Issues;
Chinese Political System and Philosophy; Foreign
Relations and Foreign Policy; Chinese legal System;
Educational System; Population Issues; Ethnical and
Religious Issues; Chinese Christianity, Islam, and
Buddhism; Theories and Practice on Human Rights;
Chinese Social Values and Inter-personal
Relationships; Chinese aesthetic Values and
Traditional Forms of Arts: Calligraphy, Painting,
Sculpture, Architecture and Garden; Chinese Cuisine
and Drinks; Public Health and Life Sciences;
Traditional Medicine; Chinese Martial Arts (Kungfu); etc.
FIELD STUDIES: Visits to places of historical
interests, museums, village and township enterprises, foreign
owned or joint owned enterprises, department stores,
free markets, monasteries, churches, seminaries,
developmental districts, neighborhood commissions,
homes of common people, hospitals, etc.
TRAVEL (CHINA AND BEYOND)
Beijing and Xi'an (the most famous Chinese ancient
capital known for terra cotta soldiers) are must-sees.
You will see breathtaking natural beauty of landscapes
and monumental human-created objects (such as the
Great Wall), historic sites and modern wonders,
metropolises and nature reserves, and desert and oasis.
You will meet people and watch birds; visit core regions
inhabited by Han majority and frontiers inhabited by
ethnic minorities; enjoy cuisine of different regions
or ethnic groups, and taste local wines, or tea. You
will see border trades, cross borders between China
and its neighbors, and observe the situations from
both sides. All the travel itineraries are well-chosen
and worthy going.
NOVEL CHARACTERISTICS
A combination of study and travel; of touring and living;
of classroom lectures and field studies; of exploring
China's past, present, and future; of politics, economy,
culture, and society; and of probing unique favors of
localities and getting a general impression of China.
AFFORDABILITY
The Study and Travel in China programs provide not only
richest and most rewarding experiences one can have
but they are also affordable. We guarantee the
lowest possible expenditures.
VERIFICATION
We will provide the host educational institutions'
telephone numbers and fax numbers to prospective
organizers or participants for their direct
communications and verifications. Moreover,
the host institutions will issue invitation letters
to the participants to get visa from Chinese embassy
or Consulates. Still and more importantly, we will
help provide independent sources of verification and
information to the prospective organizers and
participants . For example, we can help them contact
international students and professors from America
or from other countries studying or teaching
at the moment in these institutions in China.
SUGGESTIONS FOR ORGANIZERS
(1) An important requirement is that each group
should have at least 12 people.
(2) We will provide organizers with typical course
arrangements, travel itineraries, and further
information about the host institution. Yet, we will
be able to tailor the program to the educational and
recreational needs of the coming group.
(3) There are different focuses of Study and Travel
in China programs offered by a variety of universities
and high schools. The programs cover the fields of
China's Economy and Business; Chinese Language,
Culture, and History; Chinese Ethnicities Studies;
Chinese Public Health and Life Sciences; High School
Sciences and Social Studies; and Chinese Politics
and Foreign Relations.
(4) There are different travel itineraries with
attentions on the different localities, though all of them
provide an opportunity to observe China in general.
(5) The courses can be non-credited or credited.
For example, CIEE's Chinese Studies Class, Duke
University's Chinese Studies Class, and George
Mason University's Economical and Business Class
are credited. The programs are arranged as such that
these credits are acknowledged by American universities.
(6) The organizers can be official, i.e., they are
American educational institutions, or semi-official,
i.e., they are encouraged or endorsed by an educational
institutions, or non-official, i.e., they are organized
by interested individuals.
(7) The Chinese educational institutions have sponsored
in the past groups of university students, graduates,
professors, high school students, high school teachers,
and some people of mixed backgrounds from primarily
America, Japan, France, Sweden, South Korea, Germany,
Australia, and other Western European nations.